Berkeley Pit – Former Copper Mine Turned Into a Pit of Poison

The Berkeley Pit, which is over a mile long, half a mile wide and over a third of a mile deep is, in fact, an abandoned open pit copper mine, which is found in Butte, Montana, United States. While it was functional, during the 27 years of operation, Berkeley Pit supplied a sixth of the world’s copper needs and 320 million tons of the ore were extracted from here.

Now, this place is nothing but a forgotten pit filled with almost 30 million gallons of highly acidic water mixed with toxic chemicals like arsenic, cadmium, zinc and sulfuric acid that affect the environment and the supply of water nearby town of Butte.

Today, Berkeley Pit is just another tourist destination that can be visited from people all around the world. Here you will also find a small museum, a gift shop and a viewing platform located above the water. Of course, visiting is done in optimal conditions of safety for tourists.